Beer is better

Culled from a recent Freedom From Religion (FFRF) newsletter:

Top Ten Reasons Why Beer is Better than Jesus

10. No one will kill you for not drinking Beer.

9.  Beer doesn't tell you how to have sex.

8.  Beer has never caused a major war.

7.  They don't force Beer on minors who can't think for themselves.

6.  When you have a Beer, you don't knock on people's doors trying to give it away.

5.  Nobody's ever been burned at the stake, hanged or tortured over his brand of Beer.

4.  You don't have to wait 2000+ years for a second Beer.

3.  There are laws saying Beer labels can't lie to you.

2.  You can prove you have a Beer.

1.  If you've devoted your life to Beer, there are groups to help you stop.

A Beer!

fall planting

We finally got a bona fide cool front from the north today here in Houston and the wind, it is howling.  When the wind blows like this, I worry about all the plants on the roof, which get rocked back and forth pretty violently.  Wind is a big killer at higher altitudes.  So I was out securing some of the tomato limbs today.

The stars, the moon, and the planting calendars all converged today to make it a good day for planting "leaf" crops, so I put quite a number of seeds in the ground:

Peppermint, in three places: in a container on the roof; in a tub in the southeast (SE) garden; and along the west (W) fence.

Brune d'Jiver and Red Sunset lettuces, in pots on the roof and in a tub in the SE garden on the ground.

Siberian Dwarf Kale in a pot on the roof and a tub in the SE garden on the ground.

Winter Savory in a pot on the roof and a tub in the SE garden on the ground.

Mache/corn salad in a pot on the roof and in the northern (N) trough of the W garden.

Two types of broccoli (Early Sprouting Purple and Waltham) in the N trough of the W garden and in two pots on the roof.

Violetta Italia cauliflower in a pot on the roof.

Some tatsoi in a tub in the southwest (SW) garden and in the N trough of the W garden, and in a pot on the roof.

Yeah, I know.  A little anal, right?  Hey, if I don't take good notes, how the hell do I know what is growing?  And what isn't?

No more planting at least till next weekend!

We have practically year-round gardening here in Houston.  It's a blessing and a curse.  I feel compelled to plant things at their optimal time  throughout the year.

And the plumerias are STILL blooming!

  

Label GMO's

The fact that the United States still does not require the labeling of foods that contain genetically modified organisms (GMO's) should be a scandal.  It's another indication of how money and corporations rule this land of the free (gag) and home of the brave (cough cough).

new Obama ad

It really is a shame that the Republicans have done everything they can to not cooperate to get the country back on its feet since the financial debacle of 2008.  Their single-minded desire to make Obama a one-term President has blinded them to the actual needs of the country. 

There is no doubt that things are better this year than they were in 2008 or 2009.  Anyone with a fair and rational mind can see that.  The only reason to insist otherwise is because you want to discredit Obama.  Or, maybe because you are such a racist that it blinds you to the needs of the country.

Regardless, things could be much better now than they are if one party wasn't obsessed with making the President look as bad as possible.  The Republicans simply prefer power over the good of the country, and they should be ashamed of themselves, but it's quite obvious that they have no shame.

Disdain for workers

Another good column from Paul Krugman. 

Disdain for Workers
By PAUL KRUGMAN

Published: September 20, 2012

By now everyone knows how Mitt Romney, speaking to donors in Boca Raton, washed his hands of almost half the country — the 47 percent who don’t pay income taxes — declaring, “My job is not to worry about those people. I’ll never convince them that they should take personal responsibility and care for their lives.” By now, also, many people are aware that the great bulk of the 47 percent are hardly moochers; most are working families who pay payroll taxes, and elderly or disabled Americans make up a majority of the rest.

But here’s the question: Should we imagine that Mr. Romney and his party would think better of the 47 percent on learning that the great majority of them actually are or were hard workers, who very much have taken personal responsibility for their lives? And the answer is no.

For the fact is that the modern Republican Party just doesn’t have much respect for people who work for other people, no matter how faithfully and well they do their jobs. All the party’s affection is reserved for “job creators,” aka employers and investors. Leading figures in the party find it hard even to pretend to have any regard for ordinary working families — who, it goes without saying, make up the vast majority of Americans.

Am I exaggerating? Consider the Twitter message sent out by Eric Cantor, the Republican House majority leader, on Labor Day — a holiday that specifically celebrates America’s workers. Here’s what it said, in its entirety: “Today, we celebrate those who have taken a risk, worked hard, built a business and earned their own success.” Yes, on a day set aside to honor workers, all Mr. Cantor could bring himself to do was praise their bosses.

Lest you think that this was just a personal slip, consider Mr. Romney’s acceptance speech at the Republican National Convention. What did he have to say about American workers? Actually, nothing: the words “worker” or “workers” never passed his lips. This was in strong contrast to President Obama’s convention speech a week later, which put a lot of emphasis on workers — especially, of course, but not only, workers who benefited from the auto bailout.

And when Mr. Romney waxed rhapsodic about the opportunities America offered to immigrants, he declared that they came in pursuit of “freedom to build a business.” What about those who came here not to found businesses, but simply to make an honest living? Not worth mentioning.

Needless to say, the G.O.P.’s disdain for workers goes deeper than rhetoric. It’s deeply embedded in the party’s policy priorities. Mr. Romney’s remarks spoke to a widespread belief on the right that taxes on working Americans are, if anything, too low. Indeed, The Wall Street Journal famously described low-income workers whose wages fall below the income-tax threshold as “lucky duckies.”

read the rest here.

Health tip

...but whatever you do, don't expect the Republicans to lend you a hand.  If you are not rich, there is very little reason to vote for the GOP, unless perhaps if you're a racist.

Romney said what?!

How out of touch can you get?  Republicans ARE anti-science, after all.

After his wife's plane was forced to make an emergency landing this weekend, Romney told the Los Angeles Times, he was worried for her safety. The candidate then continued on a bizarre tangent that showed just how little the Republican nominee understands about flight.

 “I appreciate the fact that she is on the ground, safe and sound. And I don’t think she knows just how worried some of us were,” Romney told the paper. “When you have a fire in an aircraft, there’s no place to go, exactly."

Romney said the biggest problem in a distressed aircraft is that "the windows don’t open. I don’t know why they don’t do that. It’s a real problem. So it’s very dangerous."

The main reason airplane windows don't open is because there isn't enough oxygen at cruising altitude to keep passengers alive. (The fear of window or cabin failures, which would lead to potentially fatal hypoxia, is why many planes are equipped with emergency oxygen masks.)

Original.  It's just getting really weird now.

I love science

Or, more accurately, I fucking love science!

http://www.facebook.com/IFeakingLoveScience 

Joey Ramone

Still tryin' to get back in the groove...

Voter Fraud

These unpatriotic bastard GOP'ers KNOW that they cannot win elections fair and square so they throw up any roadblock they can think of to SUPPRESS the vote.  If there were a hell, they'd fry in it, but since there isn't, we have to may them pay for this NOW.  Be sure all of your friends and family are properly registered to vote.

Year of your birth

Here's an interesting diversion.  If you have 5 or 10 minutes, click the link below and read about WTF was going on in the year of your birth.  Just input your birth year and click the ? button.

Year of your birth

The world was a different place....yeah, no shit.

Late nite humor

I haven't posted any of these in awhile now.  You know, it must kinda irk conservatives at some level that practically every comic on the scene today is left-leaning or liberal.  Most every creative type, except for Clint Eastwood or Ted Nugent (haha!) is also left-leaning.  Waaaaaa!

"It's Fall. Unless you're Mitt Romney, and then it's freefall." –David Letterman


"Mitt Romney says that about half the country is freeloaders. And freeloaders – that includes wealthy politicians who only pay 13 percent in tax." –David Letterman

"I like Mitt. Listen to this. He has alienated the young people, alienated the old people, alienated women, alienated minorities, alienated gays. I'm telling you, this takes talent." –David Letterman

"Romney said he doesn’t watch ‘Keeping up with the Kardashians’ because if Romney wants to see rich people say dumb things on camera he can watch that fundraiser video." –Jimmy Fallon

"What are they talking about? Romney has given some very specific figures. For instance, he is willing to piss off exactly 47% of the voters." –Stephen Colbert

"Yes, President Romney will not take God off our coins. And that is so important because right now, just like God, the value of our currency really has to be taken on faith." –Stephen Colbert

"As part of the strategy for the upcoming presidential debates, the Obama campaign is attempting to lower expectations. And believe me, if there's one thing that President Obama is good at lately, it's lowering expectations." –Jay Leno

"Mitt Romney said the 47 percent of people who don't pay taxes are going to vote for Obama. You know what that means? He's going to vote for Obama." –Jay Leno

"If you take the 47 percent that Mitt Romney says pay no taxes and add that to the people who Obama says cling to their guns and religion, that's the whole country right there." –Jay Leno

"All of these political strategists are trying to explain why Mitt Romney can't seem to get his message out. I'm no strategist but it's hard to talk with both a silver spoon and a foot in your mouth." –Jay Leno

"A Pakistani man died yesterday after inhaling fumes from burning an American flag. Good! Thank you. See, let me show you how incredible that is. We don't have to defend the American flag. It can defend itself." –Jay Leno

"Republican vice presidential candidate Paul Ryan told the crowd at the Values Voter Summit that if President Obama wins, there's no going back. So basically what he said was, once you go black, you can't go back." –Jay Leno

"Mitt Romney said if he had Mexican parents, he'd have a better shot of winning...But unfortunately Romney was tragically held back by being born of rich white people." –Conan O'Brien

"It is high time that the GOP stop trying to appeal to smart people – and letting Rick Santorum in front of a microphone is a great place to start." –Stephen Colbert, on Santorum's remarks that "smart people will never be on our side"

"According to the Labor Department, unemployment fell from 8.3 percent to 8.1 percent last month. But that's because 368,000 Americans gave up looking for work. Today, President Obama said that's a step in the right direction, and he is encouraging more Americans to give up looking for work." –Jay Leno

"Anti-American crowds have been protesting and burning American flags over that anti-Islamic film. And the U.S. is now bracing for more protests next week when the film comes out on Blu-ray." –Jay Leno

"I'm watching the news, and I see these protesters in countries like Egypt, Afghanistan, Tunisia. They're all burning American flags. Where are they getting all these flags? If you hate us so much, how do you have a large supply of flags on hand?" –Jay Leno

"All over the world people are chanting, 'Death to America.' Except in China, where they're chanting, 'Not until we get our money back.'" –Jay Leno

"Mitt Romney is in Los Angeles today for a fundraiser. So that's one more handsome guy in L.A. auditioning for a role he probably won't get." –Conan O'Brien

"Mitt Romney is trailing in the polls. After being accused of being too vague, Romney's campaign team says they will start being more specific. When asked when, they said, 'Soon-ish.'" –Conan O'Brien

"Arnold Schwarzenegger has written a new book about his affair with his Hispanic housekeeper, and the book is actually called 'Total Recall.' In response, she's written a book about their affair called 'Alien vs. Predator.'" –Conan O'Brien

"It's Opening Day of the U.N in New York...Mahmoud Ahmadinejad is here. He says he hates gay people and he hates Jews. Boy is he in the wrong town." –David Letterman

"Today is the one-year anniversary of occupying Wall Street protests. Remember those? They stomped out greed forever." –Jimmy Kimmel

"Mitt Romney was here meeting with the Hispanic Chamber of Commerce. He's looking for a housekeeper for his place in La Jolla." –Jimmy Kimmel

"Mitt Romney was on 'Live With Kelly and Michael.' At one point Mitt was asked what he wears to bed. He said as little as possible. It's the same philosophy that Mitt has in regard to paying taxes." –Jimmy Kimmel

"Mitt also admitted on the show that his guilty pleasures are peanut butter and jelly sandwiches and chocolate milk. Even his guilty pleasures are boring." –Jimmy Kimmel

"President Obama is attending a fundraiser in New York hosted by Jay-Z and Beyonce. Michelle is hoping Beyonce will sing 'All the Single Ladies,' while Obama is worried Biden will get up and sing 'Bootylicious'" –Jimmy Fallon

"On Saturday, Mitt Romney took some time off from campaigning to watch his grandson’s soccer game. Though it got awkward when one team pulled their goalie and Romney was like, 'Look at that – another job lost under President Obama.'" –Jimmy Fallon

"A new poll shows that after the Democratic National Convention, President Obama got a four-point bounce in the polls, which means that's he's now only five points behind Bill Clinton." –Seth Meyers

"Obama joked this week that Bill Clinton, who has been campaigning for him, should be appointed to the role of Secretary of Explaining Stuff. Hey, you know what's another good name for that position? President." –Seth Meyers

"In a recent promotion, Mitt Romney is offering donors a chance to win a ride on his campaign plane. But if you know how Mitt Romney travels, this is one contest you don't want to win." (on screen: a picture of someone strapped to the roof of his plane) –Seth Meyers

"It's nice to know that no matter how bad things get in the Middle East, Mitt Romney is always there to make them worse. You saw him this week when our embassies were under attack, before any facts were in he tried to score political points because he sees everything as a business opportunity. This is a man who would sell ad time during a moment of silence." –Bill Maher

"A lot of Republicans are blaming Obama for all of this because he's weak. Right, you know what, if we were attacked in Egypt, Libya, and Yemen, George Bush would know what to do. Invade Iraq." –Bill Maher

"Mitt Romney went on live with Kelly and Michael and tried to answer these hardball questions. He was asked what he wears to bed. He said, 'as little as possible." Wow, there's a switch, Romney giving too much information." –Bill Maher

"He told us all about their sex life. Sometimes he and Ann turn off the lights and play 'find my tax returns.'" –Bill Maher

Autumnal Equinox

...for us in the Northern Hemisphere, of course.  Finally!  Summer is over!  I don't care if it IS 95 degrees outside today, SUMMER IS OVER!!  For our Aussie friends and everyone else south of the Equator, winter is giving way to spring. 

September Equinox

There are two equinoxes every year – in September and March – when the sun shines directly on the equator and the length of day and night is nearly equal. Seasons are opposite on either side of the equator, so the equinox in September is also known as the "autumnal (fall) equinox" in the northern hemisphere. However, in the southern hemisphere, it's known as the "spring (vernal) equinox".

      September Equinox 2012:

September 22,
14:49 (or 2.49pm) UTC

• When is the September Equinox 2012 in my city?
• Equinoxes & Solstices 2000-2049

Why is it called equinox?

On the equinox, night and day are nearly exactly the same length – 12 hours – all over the world. This is the reason it's called an "equinox", derived from Latin, meaning "equal night". However, even if this is widely accepted, it isn't entirely true. In reality equinoxes don't have exactly 12 hours of daylight.

The September equinox occurs the moment the sun crosses the celestial equator – the imaginary line in the sky above the Earth’s equator – from north to south.
This happens either on September 22, 23, or 24 every year. On any other day of the year, the Earth's axis tilts a little away from or towards the Sun. But on the two equinoxes, the Earth's axis tilts neither away from nor towards the Sun, like the illustration shows.

June Solstice | December solstice | March equinox

Or, we could think about the equinox in Biblical terms:  we're entering the GATES OF HELL!!

The fall equinox symbolizes the gates to hell. Satan rules during the lower half of the sun cycle in fall and winter. The sun dies in the pits of hell at the winter solstice. At night the sun was believed to go under the world, so we have the term "underworld".

from "The Unspoken Bible"

It could have been worse

I finally got around to watching the Daily Show coverage of the Democratic Convention.  (We're often a week or two behind reality.)  The video here narrated by Larry David is hilarious, and accurate.  Hopefully the embed will work!  

The Daily Show with Jon Stewart
Get More: Daily Show Full Episodes,Political Humor & Satire Blog,The Daily Show on Facebook

Republican traitors?

Here's another one from my Guest Writer, Lee T.  This guy teaches history at a reputable college in Central Texas, so he tends to know what he's talking about.  Thanks, Lee!  Keep 'em comin'.

If you folks keep in touch with the news daily, and I mean daily, from the time Sen. Obama became President-elect Obama, you would have heard some of the information on the linked article below.


This all started with FOX News, suggesting that the President had not taken the Office of the Presidency properly, as the Oath was botched. Yes, it was botched, Chief Justice Roberts botched it and he apologized. President Obama ordered him back to the White House on the evening of January 20, 2009, and he took the Oath again in front of a bunch of guests before the Inauguration parties were to commence.

After FOX announced it's stupidity over the national airwaves, shortly thereafter, Wind Bag Limbaugh announced publicly as follows: "I hope Obama fails". That's a fact. Shortly thereafter several Republicans announced that their number one objective was to make Mr. Obama a one-term President;  the man had just taken office.

To my knowledge and according to the Constitution, the primary objective, dictated by constitutional law, is that legislators' Number one job is to work with the President to legislate in accordance with the needs of our country. The leader of this group was Mr. Cantor, now the House Majority Leader and the man who sabotaged the Speaker with the national debt ceiling agreement between the Speaker and the President.  It was Mr. Cantor and Mr. Ryan who sabotaged the deal and thus we lost our top credit rating. But the President gets the blame; he is the President.

Mr. Ryan has shown to be a first-class liar, hypocrite, and irresponsible legislator;  bottom line, unAmerican and undeserving of the people who voted him into office in Wisconsin.

You can quote me.

In the debt ceiling debacle, it was Mr. Cantor and Mr. Ryan, and the Speaker had to follow, since the Tea Party Tail was now in full control of wagging the powerless Dog Speaker.

The same folks who planned the President's failures again managed to sabotage the entire economy in the interest of making the President look bad and/or fail.

In simple English, the House Republican Leadership preferred that the President failed with his economic policies and thus the American economy, for one reason and one reason only, to make sure the President failed and they would win the WH in 2012.

Thus, the Republican Leadership chose to sabotage the American economy in the interests of their own political power. Where I come from, that's called traitorous;  American traitors in the interest of personal power and not the American People.

Everything in here folks is 100% accurate. To me this is not news, but it's the first time I see all the facts written in one article. Some, if not most of you, know that I've sent out this info to you in pieces over the last couple of years. But this time it's all in one article. Please feel free to Fact Check.

If you're wondering why I'm not voting Republican for the Presidential ticket, this story is probably the main reason, it started almost as soon as Sen. Obama was elected. This is wrong folks, and all of you know it.

I will vote for some Republican local candidates who are dear friends and good people, but the national ticket is not deserving of my vote, and neither is Ted Cruz, the Texas Tea Party candidate for the U.S. Senate.

The Romney/Ryan ticket represents everything that is unAmerican, selfish, and hypocritical. They don't belong in America, they belong in the preDemocracy world of Old.

However, since Mr. Romney and family prefer to keep their monies in Switzerland, the Cayman Isles, and Bermuda, perhaps he should run for President in one of those countries. Than he can have absolute rule in his country of choice.

Lee T.

Click here for the article that Lee was referencing.

Consequences

While I am still on hiatus (in my mind) and recovering from the mental beating we endured in Arkansas, I will step aside and let my guest contributor, Lee T, take a couple of swings.

This writing involves the Coptic Christian in the Los Angeles area who made that film which has caused some (a lot) of commotion in the Middle East.


This fellow is a hard core Christian, (of course he is, he preaches hate), he trains militias, (neoNazi and neoCon), and he hates Muslims. A former ten-year marine, one would think a man with that background would know the consequences of his actions.

My recommendation to the FBI when they finally nab him (he is in hiding), is to fly him to Egypt or Tunisia, free of charge, check him into the best hotel in town all on a USA all-expenses- paid-vacation and leave him there.  My suspicion is that his stay will be short-lived and thus, our bill will be much lower than putting him on trial for hate crimes.

Since we have a democracy and we can't prosecute him for free speech or stupidity, we should offer him a free vacation in appreciation for his film making capabilities and lying to the participants in the film as to what he intended to do with the film.

FYI, this fellow has a history of crime, he has served a few years here and there for his Christian behaviour, and of course, he is now a celebrity, in his own mind.

There is a lot more to this story than the attached article.

Lee T.

Click here to read the story.

The Choice

Come on over, Republicans.  There's plenty of room for you on this side.  (In case you're just finding out, Obama is not really a Kenyan socialist-communist bent on destroying the United States)

Happy B-day, HLM!

A belated note of the recent birthday (Sept 12) of journalist and iconoclast H.L. Mencken, one of my personal heroes.  When his birthday came around last week, I was mired in the madness of trying to reason with a crazy person, so I note it here today.  I lost, by the way.

H.L. Mencken

On this date in 1880, America's most prominent journalist, H.L. (Henry Louis) Mencken, was born in Baltimore. Although his father was agnostic, his Lutheran mother sent him to Sunday School, which he later defined as, "A prison in which children do penance for the evil conscience of their parents" (A Mencken Chrestomathy,1949). The cigar-chomping, iconoclastic journalist worked most of his life at the Baltimore Sun, where he began his trademark column, "The Free Lance," in 1911. Mencken also coedited Smart Set magazine (1914-1923) and edited American Mercury magazine (1925-1933). His lifetime production of 28 books included a 6-volume collection of his essays, Prejudices (1919-27), In Defense of Women (1917), Treatise of the Gods (1930), and an autobiographical trilogy, ending with Heathen Days, published as one volume in 1947.

The sardonic critic of the "booboisie," who also coined the term "Boobus americanus," was famed for his coverage of the Scopes Trial in Dayton, Tenn., in 1925. Mencken's many epigrams include: "Faith may be defined briefly as an illogical belief in the occurrence of the improbable" (The New York Times Magazine, Sept. 11, 1955). "The chief contribution of Protestantism to human thought is its massive proof that God is a bore" (Minority Report, 1956). "No one in this world, so far as I know . . . has ever lost money by underestimating the intelligence of the great masses of the plain people" (Notes on Journalism, Chicago Tribune, Sept. 19 1926). "Puritanism - The haunting fear that someone, somewhere may be happy" (A Mencken Chrestomathy, 1949). "Sunday - A day given over by Americans to wishing that they themselves were dead and in Heaven, and that their neighbors were dead and in Hell" (A Book of Burlesques 1916, 1924). "Theology: An effort to explain the unknowable by putting it into terms of the not worth knowing" (A Mencken Chrestomathy, 1949). "The most curious social convention of the great age in which we live is the one to the effect that religious opinions should be respected" (American Mercury, March 1930). D. 1956.

I believe that religion, generally speaking, has been a curse to mankind--that its modest and greatly overestimated services on the ethical side have been more than overcome by the damage it has done to clear and honest thinking.

I believe that no discovery of fact, however trivial, can be wholly useless to the race, and that no trumpeting of falsehood, however virtuous in intent, can be anything but vicious. . .

I believe that the evidence for immortality is no better than the evidence of witches, and deserves no more respect.

I believe in the complete freedom of thought and speech . . .

I believe in the capacity of man to conquer his world, and to find out what it is made of, and how it is run.

I believe in the reality of progress.

But the whole thing, after all, may be put very simply. I believe that it is better to tell the truth than to lie. I believe that it is better to be free than to be a slave. And I believe that it is better to know than be ignorant.

— Mencken's Creed, cited by George Seldes in Great Thoughts

Daddy issues

Who's got time to blog when you have to deal with a rapidly-growing list of "Daddy issues."  Read: father approaching senility.

Still high

I've been on a natural high for the past week or so since the Democrats held their convention.  I haven't let the naysayers in.  They'll be out there, regardless.  The array of speakers and the themes enunciated by the Democrats represent the best of America.  

The Republicans don't offer much more than lies, greed, and racism, which unfortunately still appeals to a large number of Americans.  A large number, but decreasing every day.

I've been on vacation.  A vacation from the news.   A vacation from the internet.  But not a vacation from the family.  Groannnnnnn. 

Granholm/Biden

I could do this all night.  

What a fantastic convention the Dems had.  Made me proud to be in the Democratic Party, for a change.  Jennifer Granholm is a babe, a very excited babe.  Too bad she was born in Canada.  She'd make a very attractive candidate.

Joe Biden let Mitt have it.  What an easy target the Mitt is.  

The Republicant convention was bleak in contrast to the Dems.  Light night and day.  Grumpy and happy.  Negative/positive.  yadda yadda.  I'm just glad I'm on this side.

Barack at DNC

The President gave another rousing speech.  He continues to defy expectations.  This entire convention has been an emotional high for most Democrats.  Although we know Obama is far from perfect and doesn't do everything I think is right (duh), the comparison against Romney is quite lopsided.  Mitt is an empty pro-business suit with a hard-core ideologue in Paul Ryan.  I've seen a lot of political campaigns, but I've never heard this much lying.  It's remarkable, especially in the video age, where the lies are piling up higher and higher in the video vaults.  We got GIGs full of lies!  Closing in on a terabyte.  

The Democrats used to be the "mommy party," but now, the Democrats are playing like the "Daddy party" too.  Something about Osama bin taken out?

There's no place left for the poor little rich kids.  

Was it Clinton that said, "We (the Republicans) handed Obama a terrible mess in 2008, he didn't fix it fast enough, so he should be fired and let the Republicans back in."  (So they can take us right back to the Bush policies that caused the disaster in the first place??).   

The Republicans can't be the Mommy party, and they're not the Daddy party either anymore.  So I guess that leaves the Jesus party?

Warren/Fluke

There have been so many inspiring speeches at the DNC this year.  Wow.  The difference between the two parties is stark.  Vote for America by voting for Obama.

Elizabeth Warren is one impressive woman.  I wish she could be the senator from Texas.  She will be a great senator, really fighting for the little guy and the middle class.  Imagine that.  Instead of working for all the major corporations, she would actually work for "we the people."  What a concept!

Sandra Fluke is another impressive woman.  Despite a week-long assault from Rush "the Pigman" Limbaugh, Sandra stood her ground.  In this speech, she says it plainly:  the Republicans shut her out of their committee discussing women's health, but the Democrats invited her to speak at their convention.  That's some difference, isn't it?  Do you want women to shut up or to stand up and speak out?

Bill Clinton

Bill Clinton gave a powerful speech at the Democratic National Convention last night.  It was typical Clinton:  a bit long on time and long on the facts.  Guys like this give you faith that America will do the right thing and re-elect Obama.  

You know, come to think of it, where was the Republican's most-recent President, George W. Bush, at the Republican's convention?  Where was Cheney?  Where was Rumsfeld?  Where was Rove?  While they were in office, Republicans cheered their every move, even while Bush and Cheney were spending us into massive debt (and Paul Ryan was voting "aye" the whole way).  Are they now ashamed of Bush & Cheney?  Why might that be?

I doubt if many Republicans watched Clinton's speech.  Pity.  They are locked into a dead-end named Mitt Romney.

we're better off

One thing that Romney and Ryan keep saying over and over is that NO ONE can say they're better off now than they were 4 years ago.  That is so easily demonstrably false, it's almost like they are throwing the election and they've given up.  What a couple of dolts!

January 2009, when Obama took office, the US lost over 800,000 jobs.  In July 2012, the latest date for which records are available, the US added over 172,000 jobs.  That's just one simple stat.  800,000 jobs lost or 172,000 jobs gained?  Doesn't take a brain-dead Mormon to figure out which is "better off."

Besides, the wife and I are certainly better off, and practically everyone I know is better off than when the economy was crashing and threatening to fall into a Depression.  Duh!

Castro/Patrick speeches

San Antonio Mayor Julian Castro delivered the keynote speech at the Democratic convention.   Julian Castro is no Ted Cruz.  Julian is the real deal.  Cruz is a sham.  The difference between the two is striking.  Julian Castro has a bright future with the Democrats, as long as the crazies don't gun him down.

And Duval Patrick gave a real stem-winding barn-burner of a speech.  This guy has had a rather reserved, quiet reputation, but he was UNLEASHED tonight.  The current Massachusetts governor, who followed Mitt Romney as the state's previous Governor, let Mitt have it.  Tasty stuff.

Great speeches

There have been some excellent speeches delivered thus far at the Democrat's convention in Charlotte.  Some great, moving speeches.  

Like Steny Hoyer said Wednesday evening, the choice in November is not a difficult one.  The Republicans have gone over the edge.  Some people are so cynical they just write off all of politics, but if you cannot see any difference between the present-day Republicans and the Democratic Party, you are either not paying attention or you are an idiot.

With that out of the way, here's Michelle Obama's speech.  It's only 24 minutes long and worth every minute.

Paul Ryan=liar

Mitt Romney and Paul Ryan were just made for each other.  I think each is trying to outdo the other in lying doozies.  They know their base will believe anything they say, so they don't worry about saying some crazy shit.

For instance:

Anything it takes to win, right Paul?

Clickable Quotes

Another slight improvement to the blog. 

The section on the right side of this blog called "Occasional Quotes" has morphed into "Occasionally Clickable Quotes" where, as the new name implies, you can now click on the author's name and SOMETIMES (for now) follow a link for more info on that person.  SOMETIMES will become USUALLY.  I don't do well with ALWAYS.

This change is inaugurated with the quote from Bangladeshi author/writer Taslima Nasrin.  She has said some other interesting stuff.  For instance,

"I came to suspect that the Quran was not written by Allah but, rather, by some selfish greedy man who wanted only his own comfort,” Nasrin explained in a speech at the 25th Annual FFRF convention. “So I stopped believing in Islam. When I studied other religions, I found they, too, oppressed women.  I want a modern, civilized law where women are given equal rights. I want no religious law that discriminates, none, period—no Hindu law, no Christian law, no Islamic law. Why should a man be entitled to have four wives? Why should a son get two-thirds of his parents’ property when a daughter can inherit only a third?"

September Stargazing

Get out!  Look up!

September Stargazm

A New Type of Solar System

McDonald Observatory astronomers and two McDonald telescopes played a major role in understanding a new type of solar system found by NASA's Kepler mission: the first multi-planet solar system orbiting a binary star. The research is published in the journal Science.

Stargazing Summary

This is a month of especially close encounters for the Moon. It just squeaks past Jupiter early in the month, takes aim at Venus a few days later, and finishes up with Mars after the Moon moves into the evening sky in mid-month. Scorpius and Sagittarius, the signature constellations of summer, are getting ready to drop from view, while a string of constellations representing water is climbing into view in the southeast.

Radio Program Highlights

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September 3-9: Messiness. Science isn't always neat and tidy — it involves a lot more time and effort than scientists anticipate. We'll talk about one "messy" effort this week, along with companions bright and faint for the Moon.

September 10-16: Big neighbor. The most distant object visible to the unaided eye is the giant Andromeda galaxy. And over the eons it'll become even more visible, because it's on a collision course with the Milky Way.

September 17-23: Seeing red. The Moon passes by a couple of bright points of light in the evening sky this week, and both of them are known for their reddish color. Join us for the Moon, Mars, and the rival of Mars, plus much more.

September 24-30: Water worlds. All the water in Earth's oceans is just a drop in the bucket compared to the possible oceans on some of the solar system's big moons. Join us for the details on these watery satellites, plus much more.

September Program Schedule »

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This Month in StarDate Magazine

In the September/October issue of StarDate, author Bradford Behr updates us on the bounty brought in by WISE, the Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer. And we'll look back on efforts to communicate with inhabitants of other planets in the early days of radio.

Universo Returns

The Spanish-language Universo program returns in September with the first of three new 4- to 5-minute episodes. The first program discusses the work of McDonald Observatory astronomer Fritz Benedict, who is studying a star system known as Gamma Cephei. Later programs will cover another of Benedict's projects plus new lessons that are being learned by re-examining lunar samples from the Apollo missions.

Read more (en español) »

News From the Observatory

NASA, Texas astronomers find first multi-planet system around a binary starMcDonald Observatory astronomers and two McDonald telescopes played a major role in understanding a new type of solar system found by NASA's Kepler mission: the first multi-planet solar system orbiting a binary star. The research is published in the journalScience. 

Astronomers Test Einstein in a New Regime Using Pair of Burnt-Out Stars
McDonald Observatory astronomers led a team of researchers that followed the inward spiral of a pair of burnt-out stars to confirm its emission of that most-elusive of cosmic bounty: gravitational waves. Their work successfully tested Einstein's Theory of General Relativity in a new regime.

Show Your Support for Science Education

At every level of government, civic and elected leaders speak in agreement about the need to improve science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) opportunities in elementary and secondary schools nationwide. McDonald Observatory has worked for decades with this mission in mind, giving teachers the tools they need for lesson planning and classroom instruction. Please help us continue this work by making a donation to McDonald Observatory's 2012 Annual Fund. Gifts are 100% tax-deductible and any amount helps.

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